ANN ARBOR, MI — Plans are in the works for a new mixed-use development just north of downtown Ann Arbor, potentially including a small neighborhood bodega.
A one-story commercial office building at 340 Depot St. — across from the Amtrak station — is proposed to be demolished to make way for a redevelopment of the site with a mix of residential and commercial uses.
The property owner is Mark Pfaff and the project architect is Wayne Chubb of Hobbs and Black Architects, working with Midwestern Consulting.
They shared initial conceptual designs with the city’s Planning Commission during a working session last week and described the initial proposal in an Aug. 6 letter to the city. Chubb said the project is now being redesigned after feedback.
The property owner has had preliminary discussions with a popular local restaurant vendor who is interested in creating a bodega-type retail space, Chubb said. Planning commissioners note the site is close to the city’s new tunnel pathway along the Huron River and a store there could see foot traffic from passing cyclists and pedestrians, in addition to neighbors.
As initially proposed, the conceptual plans show a two-story building including retail and commercial uses on the first floor and four apartments on the second floor. The ground level also would include a lobby and parking spaces.
The new mixed-use building would back up to a five-story condo development called The Garnet that’s already approved for development along Summit Street.
The proposed mixed-use building conforms to the existing commercial zoning in use, area and height, though buffer requirements for the south and east sides of the property would “restrict the developable area to an inefficient building,” Chubb wrote to the planning department Aug. 6, explaining why the project is proposed as a Planned Unit Development, a special zoning designation that requires public benefits.
Some of the benefits proposed or under consideration include making it an all-electric building with rooftop solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, Chubb said.
Additionally, the development could bring the property more closely in line with the city’s master plan, adding a building that enhances the local neighborhood, Chubb said.
“Our project is investigating the partnership with a small local retail/bodega tenant to serve the neighborhood and train station,” he wrote in the Aug. 6 letter, adding no residents would be displaced by the development and the project is in scale and character with the neighborhood.
The initial plans show 10 automobile parking spaces and 14 bicycle parking spaces and indicate there would be three one-bedroom apartments and one one-bedroom/flex apartment. Drawings show balconies overlooking Depot Street.
During the commission’s discussion of the project, the question was raised whether the developer considered making the building bigger, going up to three stories, and commissioners said they were told cost was the developer’s reason for limiting it to two stories. There also was discussion about changing the massing so more of the active uses like the commercial space are on the Depot Street side, rather than concentrated on the east side of the building.
As initially designed, most of the building’s first floor along Depot Street would be interior parking, but commissioners suggested redesigning it and even reducing parking for cars, potentially entirely eliminating the row along the building front.
The design team is now studying options and preparing for a formal site plan submittal in the near future, Chubb said.
City assessor records show Mark and Eric Pfaff purchased the property in March 2000 for $334,900.
The site is underutilized and the development would be compatible with city goals for the area, providing multi-family housing in a mixed-use building with an inviting streetscape and enhancing the pedestrian sidewalk experience, Chubb said.
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Before and after: See Ann Arbor neighborhood block’s total transformation
$20M power grid upgrade coming as Ann Arbor prepares for electrified future
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